This invention relates to an aircraft cabin seat configuration with enhanced ingress and egress for the occupant of the seat adjacent the window of the aircraft. The application also discloses a sleeper seat which permits enhanced ingress and egress for the window-side passengers. The size and spacing of the seats renders the configuration most suitable for first class areas of the aircraft. The configuration is particularly suitable for the first class cabins of large, long-haul aircraft such as Boeing 747's. However, similar configurations are also useable in other long-haul aircraft such as Boeing 767's and 777's.
The cabin configuration disclosed in this application utilizes a "sleeper" seat. Such types of seats are known, and typically involve a structure which combines a seat back with a seat bottom which has telescoping segments which extend outwardly as the seat back reclines. These extending segments also generally function as leg or foot supports when the seat is in the upright or semi-reclined position. The combined length of the reclined seat back and the extended seat bottom segments are intended to provide sleeping surface.
One particular problem encountered in prior art sleeper seats is that the length and configuration of the inboard aisle seat, when in the reclined sleeping position traps the occupant of the outboard window seat in the seat by blocking access to the aisle. This is a significant problem, particularly on long-haul flights during which passengers may wish to sleep for several hours without being disturbed.
Of course, this problem could be solved merely by placing the seats so far apart that access to each seat is possible no matter what seating configuration is used. However, this is an impractical solution given the necessity of fitting a given amount of passenger load within a given space. In addition, too great a distance between adjacent seats prevents conversation and social interaction between passengers traveling together.
The invention according to this application provides a unique seating arrangement in which adjacent seats are relatively close together, and in which the inboard aisle seat occupant can sit in an upright, semi-reclined or fully reclined sleep position without blocking the outboard window seat occupant from the aisle. This is done while maintaining an adequate number of seats in a predefined space, such as the first class cabin of a long haul passenger jet such as a Boeing 747.